Paralelled
by Cullenocd
Summary: Please read inside note and summary for information. I could never possibly fit all of it into this little box. Sorry for the inconvenience for those who like to skim and read a quick summary. Apologies!
1. Prologue

_**Okay. I dont exactly know if this would count as Twilight related, but it sort of does, but it doesnt. I'll explain that in a moment. But first things first.**_

_**One: Edward is not in here, nor any of the other Twilight characters.**_

_**Okay? So I wont waste your time while you chew me out for not having Edward yet. He wont be here. Ever.**_

_**But, the reason it is here is because its similar sort of. **_

_**Summary: A girl meets a vampire who is continuously killing people in her town. When she finds him, she convinces him not to kill her. She shows him an alternative to humans, and he agrees to try it. Throughout the struggles of a strange friendship between predator and prey, either instinct, desire, or love will win out.**_

_**And thats it almost. It sort of relates to Twilight in the sense of resisting human blood, and love and all that good stuff. **_

_**If you think it shouldnt be on fanfiction because it doesnt really have a category, let me know in a review, and I'll take it off without a problem. I'll still continue it though, just not on fanfiction, since I like it. If you like it though, it'll keep coming.**_

_**I wont do anything untill I get feedback from atleast six people. Thanks!**_

**Prologue**

After everything that had been happening the past few weeks, I had a good reason to feel paranoid while walking in these woods.

I hadnt realized it had gotten so dark. Jogging on the graveled forest trails kept both my mind and my body busys. I focused on my breathing and tried to get in shape for cross-country. My breath was reasonably steady as I continuously ran through the woods, even after almost twenty minutes of flat out runnning. I hadnt stopped in a while to catch my breath, or to feel tired. I pushed myself harder and harder with every step, listening to my heavy footsteps against the path.

The woods were not a safe place to be at night anymore. Since about two weeks ago, the attacks started. One body, another body, after another body. I didnt want to be the fourth body. Of course, I knew the person who got the second turn.

"Zoe, dont you dare go now!" I had cried.

"Oh, calm down, Cind, I'll be fine," Her words didnt calm me.

"Please! You can go run tomorrow or something!"

"No, everyday, that's how it works. I've got my cell on me, and if there is an emergency, I'll call..." She trailed off, thinking. "911! Oh yeah. Can you give me a pen? I need to write it on my hand." She held out her hand expectantly.

I glared. "Seriously."

"I am serious. I wont forget the number, I wont be long, I wont go far. Okay?"

I didnt agree with her, yet I had found myself saying, "Okay."

"You wont even have time to miss me!" And with that, she had sprinted away and out of sight.

I had had plenty of time to miss her.

I tried not to think about that as the light faded further, giving way to the blackness the darkness held. The only sound was of my feet crunching against the gravel, followed by the eerie sound of an owl in a nearby tree.

The owl startled me, and I sped up although I quickly slowed after that, my pace slower then the one before. I half-chugged my water bottle, pulling it away from my face and gasping for breath. I was fine, I told myself, I'll be home in a few minutes.

I heard the rustle of leaves off of the path, and my head turned to see the cause of the noise.

Two dark eyes met mine, and held my gaze. My eyes darted quickly to the limp shape the figure was holding, and away.

"Oh." A low, surprised voice echoed in the silence.

I had been wrong. I would be the fifth body.


	2. Before Prologue

_**Thanks to SiriusEdwardLover for the advice for the chapter situation!**_

_**See, I wasnt sure whether to fill in before the prologue, or just jump right in.**_

_**So, here is some background information on the characters, and the story.**_

**Summary before prologue: **About two weeks ago, early October, there were reports of multiple dissapearances. All the victims dissapeared in about the same area: the nearby woods. Police didnt find most victims bodies, but one was found completely drained of bodily fluids. Police have no leads as to who is commiting these crimes. The locals of Rock Hill _**(this is the town, and it is completely fictional. If it in any real way is similar to a real location, it is purely coincidental. I believe that there may be a Rock Hill in South Carolina, but this location is in no way related to the real one.) **_are taking precautions; locking windows and doors, not going into the woods alone, especially at night, which is when most abductions seemed to take place.

**Cindy: **narrator, was training for her schools cross-country team during prologue. Not very social, had one true best friend, Zoe. Misses Zoe alot, cries over her death every night. _**(see explanation for Zoe below) **_Has two parents, one older brother who is attending college out of state. Dedicated to academics and athletics, she is a very loyal friend, and doesnt give up on anything whether it matters or not. Becomes sarcastic and touchy when aggravated or insulted. Cindy becomes extremely paranoid while alone or in the woods, or in the dark, since it brings back the memory of Zoe.

**Zoe: **Best friend of Cindy. More dedicated to cross-country then Cindy, ran every day. Was practicing one night, took a trail in the woods, and was murdered. Her body was not ever found, but police and Cindy suspect it was the same person who killed the other people. Very easy-going. May be referenced in further chapters.

_**If there is anything I left out, or you have any questions, please let me know and I will answer and/or add anything that I forgot.**_


	3. The Encounter

I struggled not to pass out. I definitely wouldnt hyperventilate, since I could barely breathe in the first place.

The dark figure moved slightly, and the easily identifiable shape it was holding slumped to the ground. I couldnt even scream. My throat closed, and my mouth was dry.

The figure turned towards me now, and I closed my eyes hopelessly, waiting.

I was surprised to hear a low chuckle. My eyes opened.

"I apologize for frightening you," The voice was warm, and clearly male. He sounded like he was trying not to laugh again. Strangely enough, he sounded sincere.

He took a step forward, and paused. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, chuckling again. He took another step towards me.

He stopped again, took in my frightened expression, and raised his hands, palm forward like he was surrendering to a policeman, showing he was unarmed.

"You're fine right now," He said softly, comfortingly. I didnt miss the 'right now', which completely made the phrase very _un_-comforting.

I just shook my head, feeling like I was going to cry. My lips twitched down, and my eyes started to water.

The man looked alarmed now. "Wha-what are you doing?"

I sniffled, and didnt respond. Hopeless, defeated tears ran down my face, completely silent. I was going to die, I knew it. He would kill me.

"Are you crying?" He sounded concerned.

I shook my head no again.

Suddenly, he was right next to me, his arms wrapped around me, comforting. I shivered, his skin was icy against my sweatshirt. I felt awkward and uncomfortable, but he seemed completely at ease hugging his next murder victim. He had no shirt on, and his head rested against my shoulder, his arms coming together at my back.

"Mmm..." He inhaled deeply, and pulled away, holding me at arms length, and looked into my eyes. His eyes were a sinister red color, almost hidden by his straight, dark brown hair. He wasnt quite a man, but he was past boyhood. His chin was still slightly rounded, and I had to admit to myself that he didnt look like a serial killer. He was actually quite beautiful. He smiled slightly, revealing glistening white teeth. He was pale, too, abnormally pale.

"Dont be upset," He pleaded, still looking into my eyes. He released my arms, and hopped up onto the wooden railway that bordered the trail. His legs swung childishly in between the gap in the rail.

I still stood frozen in my spot, not having moved so much as an inch since I first spotted this strange boy. He seemed friendly enough, had I mistaken what he had been holding? Was it paranoia that simply triggered a hallucination?

I winced, inhaling the rustic smell of fresh blood. I avoided fainting by deciding that I made up the scent, and it was all in my head.

"Dont be upset," He said again. "I would give you another hug, but that was hard for me, you see. Although I just ate, it's still difficult to resist. You should be quick and easy, much less painful then the others, since I dont plan on feeding off of you. I'm full." He looked down, and patted his stomach. I couldnt focus on what he had said, just that he planned on killing me.

"What's your name?" He asked me conversationally. "I havent really talked to anybody in a while, so my small talk isnt too good. But I dont want you to go away just yet. I want to play." His face scrunched together, and he grinned.

I couldnt answer, I couldnt find my voice. I couldnt get enough oxygen into my lungs, and I felt dizzy. The ground swirled up into my face.

"Whoa!" He was supporting me easily, I never hit the ground. He sat me down on the path, making sure I wouldnt fall over. He then went to sit cross-legged a few feet away. His nose wrinkled.

"If I have to keep coming over to you like that, I promise you, the end will be painful," His voice was cold, and he sounded like a killer. A merciless, serial killer. It still surprised me though, he had been so polite and friendly a few seconds ago.

"Cindy M. Odell," He was holding my school ID card. I listened to him in shocked disbelief, wondering how he had gotten it. "What a cute name. It will look so nice in the newspaper. But let's not talk about that. You run cross-country? I'm a fast runner, too. Faster then you, of course, but I appreciate the effort you seem to put into it." He looked back up at me. "You seem really dedicated to the sport." He gestured with his arms the surrounding area, the darkness, and then me. "You should have heard yourself. You were so loud, I thought you were going to have a heart attack or something."

I didnt understand what he meant. I was loud, my footsteps would have been impossible to miss. But I didnt get how that would have risked a heart attack.

He continued talking, mostly to himself, since he realized I wouldnt respond. "I'm Dwight. Not that it matters." He muttered darkly.

"Why doesnt it matter?" I asked quietly. My voice was pitifully weak, and I was surprised that I was able to speak. A split-second decision told me that, since I was going to die anyways, I might as well stall it out. The more I talked, I figured he would talk too, since he was chatty without my help. I could only imagine what he would do if I talked back. A two-way conversation could go on forever, about absolutely nothing.

His eyebrows rose in the darkness, and one corner of his mouth twisted up into another smile. The smile was eager, and triumphant. Dwight was clearly glad that I was talking, and I almost saw his impatience for more conversation. "You really are quite adorable," He told me ruefully, ignoring my question. I blushed, embarrased at the sudden compliment.

He growled suddenly. "I'm sorry, we really must be getting along with things. You obviously cant seem to control yourself, so I no longer feel obligated to do the same." He rose quickly, coming up to me in one long stride.

"Please," I sobbed. "Please dont kill me."

His next words surprised me. "Okay," He said cheerfully, and he turned around. He walked back to where he had been sitting, and sat down in the same position as before. He looked down, and doodled in the dirt with his finger. He looked back up.

"What makes you think I want to kill you?" He asked me curiously. He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear me say it. I realized what he was doing. He was just playing games before he went in for the kill. How cruel.

I answered him anyways, not caring if he got the pleasure from tormenting me. It didnt matter anyways.

"You keep saying that it wont be painful for me. Like it was for--" I broke off, remembering my friend, Zoe. She had been murdered, like I would be. I assumed Dwight was the same person who killed her. That meant, she had died painfully. I sobbed.

"Please dont cry!" Dwight begged.

I glared at him. He was aggravating me, a killer who got upset when his victim cried. It was strange, but I was too scared to be afraid. It didnt make sense, since I had conciously already given up on living, and it didnt freak me out as much as it should have. "Why does it matter to you if I cry or not?"

"I hate it when people cry."

"But killing people is not a problem," My tone was thickly layered with sarcasm.

"You think I do it for fun?" He asked me skeptically. His eyes were desperate, and for a moment, he looked afraid, innocent.

"I dont see any other reason for it. Revenge? I think not."

He snorted, angrily. "I have no _choice_." He growled. He held up his hand when he saw that I was going to interrupt. "What do you eat? Do you eat hamburgers, turkey, or some other form of meat? If you think about it, everything you eat was once living. Whether it be a fruit or a vegetable, grain or an animal, all of it was killed to satisfy you."

The blood drained from my face, and my hands started to shake. Was he...?

He studied my expression. "You're probably right with what you're thinking. I eat people, in a sense."

"YOU EAT PEOPLE?!" I couldnt stop myself from screaming, and my voice echoed into the night.

He looked absolutely vicious as he spoke, "Keep it down." He calmed himself slightly. "You eat plants, animals, dont you?"

"Yes, but thats different. I'm not a freaking cannibal."

"Neither am I."

He seemed smug as he watched my expression shift from anger, to skepticism, landing on confusion.

"I'm not a cannibal," He repeated. "Cannibals are creatures that eat there own species."

I processed that for a moment. "Your not human?" I was starting to be afraid again. He wasnt human? Was he an alien? I couldnt think straight. Maybe I was dreaming. Yes, of course. That was it. Therefore, I refused to let my subconcious pull me into a horrifying nightmare in which I would wake up screaming in bed.

"No," His voice was hard.

"Then what are you?"

He hesitated. "I, for one thing, need to get moving along here. I've told you more then I should have, not that it matters in the end."

"So you're not even going to tell me?"

"You dont want to know."

"I asked, which might mean that I do want to know."

His lips were suddenly at my ear, and he whispered into them. "A vampire." Within seconds, Dwight was in front of me again, standing. I looked up at him from my position on the ground. His face was no longer friendly.

"Oh," was all I said. I couldnt get hurt in dreams, so I didnt care. The constant foul odor of open flesh kept telling me that it wasnt a dream, but I stubbornly held on to my dream theory.

"Oh?" He repeated skeptically, almost angrily. "Oh? That's all you have to say! I just old you I'm a vampire, that I am going to kill you, and that I eat people! Drink them, rather, I thirst for blood. Human blood! And all you can say is 'oh'," Dwight's tone was mocking while he quoted me.

"What is there to say?" I asked tiredly. I yawned, sleepy. Maybe I would wake up soon, forever leaving Dwight in a distant part of my imagination.

"Whatever. Let's get this over with." He took a step towards me. "You wont feel a thing," he murmured.

"Wait!" I pleaded. In the case that this wasnt an extremely convincing dream, I knew that my main goal was to stay alive. Staying alive was always in my best interest.

"Now what?" He asked, annoyed.

I thought hard, for a reason for him not to kill me. If he thirsted for blood, why didnt he just drink me, for crying out loud? He would be satisfied, and I would be done away with. And then I had an epiphany.

"You said you thirst for blood," I began. His expression was cautious. "And then you said that we -- well, I -- eat plants and animals, since it's all food. Well, what if you eat those instead of people?"

"Food doesnt do anything. I cant even digest it. It's blood that I need."

"Drink animal blood," I suggested quietly, not entirely liking our topic of discussion. I didnt like talking about anyone drinking blood, since the idea was absolutely ghastly. But if he drank animal blood -- I shivered at the thought of drinking blood in the first place -- instead of human blood, then the murders would stop, and it would be like Zoe getting her peace. If Zoe's killer was stopped, then surely she would be happy. Zoe and I were best friends, so if she was happy, so was I.

"Drink...animal blood?" He had clearly never thought of this. He considered it, pursing his lips. "I...guess that could work..."

I sighed in relief. "Good. Now you dont have to kill me."

"Yes, I do," He seemed amused by my assumption.

The blood drained from my face a second time. "Why?" I asked weakly.

"Simple. You know too much."

"I wont tell."

"You cant honestly expect me to believe that."

"I'll help you," I offered quickly. Maybe I could help him not want to kill people. I wasnt sure if I was dreaming after all, and if I wasnt, then I also wasnt sure if I would keep my promise. Would I want to come back to...this?

He snorted. "How can you help me? You'll only make things harder for me."

"I dont know," I said quietly. I spoke louder, "How do I make it harder for you? You keep saying that."

He gestured to me. "You're a human, yes?"

I nodded.

"Human blood...smells _so _good to me. You smell rather nice. Now, say you smelled something delicious. If you were eating while inhaling it's scent, it would be harder to not just go over and take a bite, yes? In fact, it would probably be hard just by smellling it in the first place, with or without eating. Because actually, either you just ate and you might as well continue eating, or you havent eaten in a while, and you're hungry. Do you get what I'm saying?"

I nodded again, closing my eyes, waiting to die. I took in every last thing I could. The brisk, refreshing feel of a cool fall night. The melodic sounds of crickets chirping to eachother. I tilted my head up to gaze at the night sky through a break in the trees, but when I opened my eyes, Dwight was towering over me.

"Tomorrow night, eight o' clock. Here. Come alone, got it?"

I just stared at him surprised. He was letting me live?

He sighed. "I might need help, for the fundamentals. Since it was your idea, you are obligated to help me out. And if you tell, five things will happen. One, nobody will believe you. Two, you will be locked in a mental institution. Three, I will come and find you, and you _will _die. Fourthly, I wont feel the need to feed off of animals, whether it works or not. And lastly, the killings will continue, since I'll still need my basic nutrition." He grinned in spite of himself.

He backed up, giving me room to stand up. I stood up cautiously, not sure if he meant what he said, or if it was just a trick. I brushed the dirt off the back of my pants, watching him carefully the whole time.

He sighed again. "Just go home. And I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

I continuously nodded, grabbing my water bottle. "Yeah. And, uh, thanks. For, you know, not killing me." I started to head out of the woods

"Sure. And, Cindy?" I turned back around to face him.

"Yeah?"

"Dont run home."

"Why?" I asked, confused. If he wanted me to go home now, then wouldnt running be the fastest way?

"Just dont. Trust me," He wrinkled his nose.

I didnt question him further, I would get to that tomorrow. I almost groaned at the thought of having to go to a secret meeting with a vampire that wanted to kill me, who killed my friend. I walked at a swift pace, not running, but faster then normal speed. I glanced behind me, and Dwight was watching me depart. He smiled swiftly, and vanished into the darkness.

_**I wont update unless you want me to. Let me know. **_

_**Also! If you have any questions about anything, it will probably be explained in a further chapter, if you want me to continue. Also! (again) You know how vampires have 'enhanced' abilities? If you have any suggestions for Dwight's, please tell me! I've got nothing. xx**_


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